The issue begins in Coast City as we see Black Lantern Superman dragging a Guardian across the floor towards Nekron. Nekron holds one of the Guardians to himself and tells them the truth behind the lies that the Guardians have been telling for eons. He asks the Guardians why do they guard the universe, to which the Guardian replies that he does not remember. Immediately, the heralds of the seven Lantern Corps and the sentient beings that their rings duplicated to select attack the Guardian of Death, but all they accomplish is severing the connection between the Black Lantern Rings and a few corpses. They all realize that if anything, Nekron is actually enjoying the attacks upon him. Suddenly, Black Hand attacks the Lanterns and tells them that life favors some and ignores others, while in death, everyone is equal, silent and cold. Black Hand and Atrocitus recognize each other from the past in Green Lantern: Secret Origin. Black Hand tries to take Atrocitus's heart, but Hal attacks him saying that his ring is his heart. But, Black Hand counters by resurrecting people from the ground. Suddenly, the Scarecrow attacks Black Hand by stabbing him with a construct of a pitch fork.

While that's happening, the other Lanterns realize that Lex Luthor hasn't been attacking the Black Lanterns lately, but he sees Scarecrow and tries to take his ring because he has succumbed to the light of the Orange Lanterns. Larfleeze tries to stop him, but he blasts everyone away and manages to take Scarecrow's ring and demands that everyone give him their rings. He then turns his attention to Mera and tries to take the Red Lantern ring from her.

Meanwhile, ten thousand feet above Coast City, Green Lantern John Stewart is trying to keep the Black Lanterns coming from space from trying to get to Coast City and swarm the battlefield and tries to establish with Hal and anyone else, when he's attacked by Hal Jordan's cousin, Harold Jordan, also known as Air Wave. He tells Stewart that he's bouncing every Lanterns' S.O.S. signals to an old lady's radio in Omaha, when suddenly, the Black Lantern Rings detect an emotional spectrum detonation. When they look behind them, they see Guy Gardner with all the members of the seven Lantern Corps and a battle ensues in the sky as the Black Lanterns battle every member of each of the Lantern Corps.

Meanwhile, back on the ground, we see the Teen Titans battling against the Black Lanterns, when Dawn Granger, the new Dove, using her power of the white light to destroy the Black Lanterns around her and tries to go after the Black Lantern Central Power Battery when she's attacked from behind, and we see a figure trying to come out of the Central Power Battery, who is presumed to be the Anti-Monitor, who was imprisoned inside the Battery at the end of the Sinestro Corps War.

As the Lanterns continue battling Luthor, Nekron kills one of the Guardians by slicing his throat, as Hal, Saint Walker, and Flash continue to battle Luthor's orange and yellow constructs. As the Guardian dies, Black Hand tears the heart out of his body and creates a symbol on the floor with his blood, the symbol of the White Lanterns. As with Luthor, Wonder Woman and Atrocitus manage to subdue him, when we find out that all he has ever wanted is to be like Superman. As the others are noticing Nekron's actions, Ganthet tells them that he has begun to make contact, when Sinestro questions with what.

Suddenly, Nekron says, "Trespasser. RISE", which causes a huge blast of white light, and we see a being made completely out of the white light. Nekron manages to strike the white being, which causes pain in every living being. Hal asks Ganthet what the white being is, and Ganthet tells him that it is the Entity, the sentient embodiment of the living light that triggered existence in the universe. He tells them that despite the fact that the Guardians of the Universe are the oldest living beings in the universe, life did not begin on Maltus or Oa, but on Earth. The Guardians buried the entity on the planet to keep it protected. Sinestro attacks Ganthet telling him that the Guardians have a long history of burying things, like Parallax in the Green Lantern Central Power Battery and the Massacre of Sector 666, as well as that when his friend Abin Sur died, he knew all about the Entity, which was why he came to Earth. That the Guardians let Abin die so that they could justify their authority and stabs Ganthet.

Nekron attacks the Entity again causing pain in everyone, but the Entity doesn't strike back. Hal realizes that the Entity is like Parallax and Ion, it needs a pilot and Hal flies towards it, when Sinestro stops him, saying that Hal had his chance when he rejoined with Parallax, and that it is now his duty, and flies into the entity and joins with it. When the ring of the White Lantern says, "Thaal Sinestro of Korugar. Destiny awaits." And we see Sinestro in the uniform of a White Lantern.